Dehydrator



June 26, 1951 J, C, RAMSEY ETAL 2,558,462

DEHYDRATOR Filed oct. 21, 1949 A JNVENTOR. c/fss CHA/135V HTTOHNEYS Patented June 26, 1951 DEHYDRATOR Jess C. Ramsey and Margaret J. Ramsey, Billings, Mont,

Application October 21, 1949, Serial No. 122,646

Claims.. l This invention relates to improved apparatus for dehydrating liquids and gases ilowing therethrough, the primary object of the invention being to provide a device of this kind which removes moisture from liquids and gases passed therethrough in a manner to prevent freezing of s uch moisture which would otherwise take place, as in a refrigeration or gas supply system.

Another important object of the invention is the provision of an efficient and serviceable device of the above `indicated character which is simple and inexpensive in construction and can be employed in upright and horizontal positions.

A further important object of the invention is the provision of a device of the character indicated above which mixes antiefreeze liquid with the moisture removed from the fluid passed through the device whereby freezing of the re moved: moisture in the device and in the fluid of the system in which the device is incorporated, is precluded.

Other important objects and advantageous features of our invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings, wherein, merely for illustrative purposes, a specific embodiment of the invention is set forth in detail.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation with portions broken away to expose interior structure.

Figures 2 and 3 are horizontal sections taken on the lines 2--2 and 3.-3, respectively, of Figure 1, and,

Figure 4 is a fragmentary transverse vertical section tenen on the line 4 4. of Figure 1.

Referring in detail to` the drawings, wherein like numerals designate like parts throughout the several views, the numeral 5 generally designates the plain cylindrical tubular casing of the illustrated device, which in practice may have a diam eter of about two inches and a length of from 1-2 to 14 inches, or a length about six or seven times the diameter thereof. The casing or cylinder 5 is of rust resistant, non-corrosive metal or other material, with its upper and lower ends closed by brass or other suitable material caps 6 and 1, respectively, seal welded in place.

The lower cap 'l has a` center opening 8 from which a threaded collar 9 depends which is normally closed by a drain plug l0. The upper cap 6 retains in the top of the cylinder a fine mesh circular screen Il whose edges are retained by upper and lower steelv rings l2 and i3, The upper cap 6 is formed centrally with a circular group of holes I4 opening therethrough and communicat- 2 ing with the bell l5 of an elbow type outlet adapter I6 welded on the cap 6. l

A cotton orsirnilar material cylindrical wick `I 1 is positioned axially in the casing 5 with itsllower end resting upon the lower cap 1 and with its upper end I3 rising slightly above two-thirds of the height of the casing.

The lower half of the wick l1 is surrounded by a cotton packing t9 illing the space between the wick H and the sidewall of the casing, the upper end of the packing I9 rising to one-third of the height of the casing 5 and being surmounted by a solid aluminum washer or separator 20 supported at its upper end edges by steel rings'ZI and 22 and formed with a center hole 23 fitting the wick il.

Filling the space in the cylinder 5 around the wick I1 for another thirdof the height of the casing' is the bodyA 24 of aluminum wool, which is surmounted by a fine mesh screen 25 supported at its edges by upper and lower steel rings 26` and 2f?.

The upper end i8 of the wick l1 projects slightly above the screen 25 and into the lower par-t of a body 28l of pea-size gravel or the like,

which flls the cylinder space between the screen 25 and the screen l I.

The side of the cylinder 5 is fitted with a bowl type valvedV fitting 30 which opens into the interior of the cylinder below the separator 20 and at the upper end of the cotton packing I9 and is provided with a handle 3| for opening and closing the tting. The fitting 3D enables introducing into the lower part of the cylinder an amount of alcohol or other suitable anti-freeze liquid suffcient to saturate the packing I9 and the wick l1', the alcohol preferably not being introduced until the device is to be installed. When the device is installed in a system not requiring the presence oi the alcohol, the alcohol is not used in the device, and the device can then be installed in either an upright or a horizontal position. In introducing alcohol the gas or liquid pressure oi the associated system must be shut off.

Immediately above the partition 20 the sidewall of the casing 5 is formed with a ,group of inlet holes 32 therethrough and an inlet flare adapter 33 is welded in place around the holes 32.

The device is adapted to be installed in the associated system (not shown) by connecting the same in a conduit thereof with the inlet adapter 33` connected to receive fluid under pressure from the conduit and the outlet adapter IE connected to return the dehydrated uid to the system.

The device is. adaptable to dehydrate the liquid` 3 of such as a refrigeration system or the gas oi.' such as a liquid petroleum or similar gas system, and in either case provides for `free flow of the fluid even in the coldest weather. As the iiuid to be dehydrated fills the cylinder above the partition 20 moisture present in the fluid is stripped therefrom by the aluminum wool 24 and alcohol supplied by the wick l1 mixes with the stripped moisture. On further upward travel of the fluid sediment therein is retained by and below the lower screen 25 through which the uid passes into the gravel 2B. The gravel further strips the uid of any remaining moisture and baiiles the moisture from reaching the outlet adapter I6. Any further sediment remaining in the dehydrated uid is retained by the upper screen through which the fluid passes to the outlet adapter I6. Any traces of moisture remaining in the iiuid passing into the outlet adapter is a non-freezable mixture or solution of the moisture and the alcohol.

Y We claim;

1. In a dehydrator for uid under pressure, a

vertically elongated cylindrical casing having closed upper and lower ends, a fluid outlet on said upper end, a wick rising vertically in said casing from the lower end of the casing, said wick having its upper end spaced at a substantial distance below the upper end of said casing, an absorbent body in the lower part of the casing and rising part way up the interior of the casing, said absorbent body filling the space between a lower part of the'wick and the sidewall of the casing and being in contact with the wick, an imperforate separator surrounding said wick above said absorbent body and isolating said absorbent body from the remainder of the interior of thevcasing except through said wickmeans traversing the casing sidewall and opening into the interior thereof at a point below said imperforate separator for supplying said absorbent body with dehydrating fluid, a stripping body rising part way up the interior of the casing from said imperforate separator and occupying the space between said wick and the casing sidewall and being in contact with the wick, a sediment screen separator fixed across the interior of the casing at the upper end of said first stripping body, the upper end of said wick rising only slightly above said sediment screen separator, a baiing body occupying the space in said casing between said sediment screen separator and the upper end of the casing and being in contact with the upper e`nd of the wick, a sediment screen at the upper endof said baiiiing body, "and an inlet traversing the sidewall' of the casing and opening into the interior of theV casing at a point between said imperforate separator and saidr rst sediment screenV separator whereby the uid to be dehydrated enters the'casing through said stripping body and is dehydrated by passing upwardly toward said fluid outlet through said stripping body and said baiiiing body in contact with dehydrating uid supplied thereto by said wick.

2.V A dehydrator `for fluid under pressure comprising'an axially elongated cylindrical casing having closed ends, an outlet adapter on one of 'said ends for discharging dehydrated iiuid fromn said casing, a'wick arranged axially in said casing and spaced from the sidewall thereof, said wick'reaching inwardly from the other of said ends' intosubstantially spaced relation to the said' one end of casing, an absorbent body, surrounding 'said wick and iilling the space between said wick and the casing sidewall adjacent said other casing end, an imperforate separator surrounding Vsaid wick and extending across the space between said casing sidewall and said wick at the inward end of said absorbent body, stripping body of metallic wool surrounding said Vwick and reaching inwardly from said imperforate separator to a point adjacent to the inward end of the wick, a baiiiing body of solid comminuted moisture baiiling material filling the space in said casing between the inward end of said stripping body and the said one end of casing and in contact with the inward end of said wick, a first sediment screen extending across said casing between said stripping body and said baffling body, a second sediment screen extending across said casing between said baiiiing body and the said one end of'said cylinder, a fluid inlet adapter traversing the sidewall of said casing at a point between said imperforate partition and said first screen whereby the iluid to be dehydrated is passed into the casing through said stripping body, and a quantity of anti-freeze liquid saturating said absorbent body and said wick whereby anti-freeze liquid is mixed with moisture present in the fluid as said fluid passes toward said outlet adapter, and whereby excess mixture of moisture and anti-freeze liquid is stripped and baiiied from the fluid'before the fluid reaches said outlet adapter.

3. A dehydrator for fluid under pressure comprising an axially elongated cylindrical casing having closed ends, an outlet adapter on one of said ends for discharging dehydrated uid from said casing, a Wick arranged axially in said casing and spaced from the sidewall thereof, said wick reaching inwardly from the Yother of said ends into substantially spaced relation to Vthe said one end of the casing, an vabsorbent body, surrounding said wick and lling the space between said wick and the casing sidewall adjacentV wick, a rst sediment screen extending acrossV said casing between said stripping body and said baiiiing body, a secondsediment screen extending across said casing between said bafing body and the said one end of said cylinder, and a fluid inlet adapter traversing the sidewall of said casing at a point between said imperforate partition and said first screen whereby the huid to be dehydrated is passed into the casing through said stripping body, said metallic wool consisting of aluminum wool.

4. A dehydrator for iluid under pressure com-l prising an axially elongated cylindrical casing having closed ends, an outlet adapter on one of said ends for discharging dehydrated fluid from said casing, a wick arranged axially in said casing and spaced from the sidewall thereof, said wick reaching inwardly from the other of said ends into substantially spaced relation tothe said one end of the casing, an absorbent body,

surrounding said wick and filling the space be-' tween said wick and the casing sidewall adjacent,

said other casing end, an imperforate separator surrounding said wick and extending across the space between said casing sidewall and said wick at the inward end of said absorbent body, a stripping body of metallic wool surrounding said wick and reaching inwardly from said imperforate separator to a point adjacent to the inward end of the wick, a bailiing body of solid comminuted moisture baiing material lling the space in said casing between the inward end of said stripping body and the said one end of the casing and in contact with the inward end of said wick, a rst sediment screen extending across said casing between said stripping body and said bailiing body, a second sediment screen extending across said casing between said baffling body and the said one end of said cylinder, and a fluid inlet adapter traversing the sidewall of said casing at a point between said imperforate partition and said rst screen whereby the iluid to be dehydrated is passed into the casing through said stripping body, said comminuted moisture baffling material consisting of gravel.

5. A dehydrator for iluid under pressure comprising an axially elongated cylindrical casing having closed ends, an outlet adapter on one of said ends for discharging dehydrated fluid from said casing, a wick arranged axially in said casing and spaced from the sidewall thereof, said wick reaching inwardly from the other of said ends into substantially spaced relation to the said one end of the casing, an absorbent body, surrounding said wick and lling the space between said wick and the casing sidewall adjacent said other casing end, an imperforate separator surrounding said wick and extending across the space' between said casing sidewall and said wick at the inward end of said absorbent body, a stripping body of metallic wool surrounding said wick and reaching inwardly from said imperforate separator to a point adjacent to the inward end of the wick, a bailing body of solid comminuted moisture bailling material filling the spacein said casing between` the inward end of said stripping body and the said one end of the casing and in contact with the inward end of said wick, a rst sediment screen extending across said casing between said stripping body and said baliing body. a second sediment screen extending across said casing between said baling body and the said one end of said cylinderfand a fluid inlet adapter traversing the sidewall of said casing at a point between said imperforate partition and said rst screen whereby the 11u-id to be dehydrated is passed into the casing through said stripping body, said absorbent body consisting of cotton.

JESS C. RAMSEY.

MARGARET J. RAMSEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 630,870 Driesbach Aug. 15, 1899 1,866,659 Little July 12, 1932 2,243,949 Fox June 3, 1941 2,325,657 Burkness Aug. 3, 1943 2,383,065 Lehman Aug. 21, 1945 

